A post by Sally Ebright:
i am studying in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italia this semester... a wonderful place! last sunday we went to an italian mass, so we did not understand much of what was happening. i am here with wonderful friends and i am not lonely, but as i was sitting in the pew, i realized i would really appreciate if someone would make an effort to say hello or welcome me to their church. as we were leaving, i made eye contact with an italian woman who smiled and said "buongiorno" (good morning). i said "buongiorno" back and we both smiled at each other. the next word out of my mouth was "grazie" (thank you) and it came from my heart! i was so thankful... thankful that she acknowledged my existence.
as i walk the streets (particularly in Florence) i am struck by the gypsy women asking for money. they speak in italian so i do not know what they are saying, but i have noticed that most of them don't even look me in the eye as they ask. they are already looking for the next crowd of people, accustomed to being ignored. i cannot imagine living that every day... people brushing past you constantly. i do not know yet how to respond. i wish i could invite one to lunch, but i cannot speak well and i don't know if they would even be interested. so for now i try and acknowledge them and say, "no, grazie. buongiorno."
we ran into the woman who said hello at church the next morning on a walk! her name is Daylia. she was very animated and tried communicating with us for quite a while - very gracious with our terrible italian. i think she may have invited us to breakfast some time, but i am not sure... :)
although we have had many great interactions with people here, this instance is one that i will remember forever. her gesture was so simple, but in that moment i was feeling like an outsider and her smile blessed my heart.
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